Do Lip-Plumping Glosses Really Work Experts Tell All - IDiva

HomeBeautyMakeupUpdated: Apr 30, 2021, 19:59 UTCDo Lip-Plumping Glosses Really Work? Here’s What The Experts Have To SayTracy Ann Follow UsTracy Ann

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Electric, eclectic, eccentric - in that order! Too filmy for my own good. Driven by FOMO. Life lover.

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Fancying Kylie-Jenner-sized lips has become the norm. All around the globe, women are going out of their way to make their lips appear fuller, juicier, and plumper--resorting to all kinds of techniques to get there. From encasing their mouths in small cups to using scrubs that make bold promises to injecting their lips with fillers and opting for surgeries--there are a plethora of ways to get that enviable pout Instagram has made oh-so-popular. One of the most popular ways to get more defined, thicker lips, of course, is lip plumping gloss. But is this miracle product really worth it? Let’s find out...

What are lip plumping glosses?

The job of a lip plumping gloss is to help you achieve a fuller look. While the shine of the gloss partially contributes to making your lips appear bigger than they really are, these glosses contain special ingredients that react with your skin to create a temporary fullness.

What are these special ingredients?

In an interview to leading beauty website in the West, famed plastic surgeon Lara Devgan said that most lip plumping glosses contain mild irritants such as peppermint, cinnamon, or capsicum. When you apply the product to your lips, the irritation these ingredients cause makes the blood rush to the surface of the skin, which results in a temporary fullness or transient swelling. 

While this doesn’t harm the body, there’s an ingredient that many brands use, which can indeed have negative effects. Some lip plumping glosses contain bee venom--an ingredient many doctors don’t recommend if you have sensitive skin. When applied to the lips, bee venom reacts the same way a bee sting would--it causes inflammation. Recently, many brands have also started relying on hyaluronic acid, which supposedly increases lip volume when used continuously. For the unaware, hyaluronic acid is a hydrating substance found naturally in the body. The acid is said to be able to hold a thousand times its weight in water, making it an ideal ingredient for skincare products that are created to moisturize and plump.

So, what’s your best option?

Though the right thing to advise those who suffer from any kind of body image issues (yes, this counts!) would be to love yourself and all your features just the way they are--if you still feel the strong need to make your lips look fuller, use products that contain hyaluronic acid. Why? Because it has the least potential to harm your skin. Dr Geetika Mittal Gupta, founder & medical director at ISAAC Luxe, says: “Collagen and hyaluronic are common ingredients in lip plumpers that shape, boost, and hydrate your lips, resulting in a perfect pucker. However, these lip plumpers only help temporarily, and if it’s a bad-quality product, it can leave your lips swollen, red, and flaky. Also, watch out for products that are excessively sticky and can thus irritate the skin.” 

So while using plumping products are great, they won’t help you in the long run. If you want a pout that doesn’t budge, Dr Gupta suggests hyaluronic-acid-based fillers. “They hydrate and plump up the lips, as well as help to reshape the lips. Aesthetic gel-based fillers are based on naturally-occurring sugar molecules in the body. The function of this molecule is to bind water and act as a lubricant and shock absorbent in parts of your body that are movable, as well as transport nutrients and regulate your skin’s water balance. Dermal fillers revitalise and add volume to the area instantly, by boosting this naturally occurring substance. These fillers need to be repeated every six months, though,” she says.  

In the end, the lips that you were born with are the lips that are going to stick with you. Nevertheless, you can always enjoy a few hours of plumped-up lips by using products that are easily available in the market. For a few months of an enviable pout, fillers are your best bet. Whatever your choice might be, remember this: the price for a sexy mother pucker, could very well be a high one!

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Tracy Ann

Specialty: Entertainment

Electric, eclectic, eccentric - in that order! Too filmy for my own good. Driven by FOMO. Life lover.

Know More

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